2008 Female Player: Jeri Siegfried-Mueller

Jeri Siegfried-Mueller

In her 29-year playing career, 12 of those participating in the USSSA, Evansville’s Jeri Siegfried-Mueller played on some talented women’s softball teams.

Siegfried-Mueller, a solid shortstop with some time at third and first base, played on Dashners of Red Bud and Plums/Bud Light out of Belleville before retiring in 1997. A line drive singles hitter with some power, Siegfried-Mueller boasted a .640 average over her years on the diamond. In USSSA tournaments or leagues, she was named Most Valuable Player seven times and was selected to five state All-Tournament teams. Also in 1992, she was awarded the Most Valuable Defensive Player at the State Tournament in O’Fallon.

She played on teams that were Class C State Champions four times. With Dashners, Siegfried-Mueller and her mates won the 1986 Illinois State Title at Evansville and also in 1989 at Columbia; however, her fondest moment was her first participation in the USSSA World Tournament in which her club finished in eighth place.

“The most exciting event was attending our first World Tournament,” said Siegfried-Mueller. “The opening ceremony followed by the overwhelming number of teams. The quality of play and the friendliness of the other players was great. The tournament was well organized and the umpiring was good.”

“While playing, I always tried to give 100 percent and be a team player. I never let playing the game of softball become a job. I enjoyed every game I played in.”

— Jeri Siegfried-Mueller

All the great players want to play against the best competition and, in the early years, women’s softball in southern Illinois was just beginning. But Siegfried-Mueller has thanks for those who got the ball rolling in her area although she feels the number of teams and players decreasing.

“USSSA softball in southern Illinois is very small and I feel women’s softball is decreasing every year,” said Siegfried-Mueller. “I’m thankful to Mike Reeves and Brenda Paulson for getting the USSSA started here.”

Most players forget from time to time that the game of softball is just that – a game. While being just a game, it is still a requirement for players to give everything they have for not only themselves, but for their team. Over the years, Siegfried-Mueller feels she left it all on the field and loved every minute of it.

“While playing, I always tried to give 100 percent and be a team player,” Siegfried-Mueller said. “I never let playing the game of softball become a job. I enjoyed every game I played in.”

We honor a player who did everything in her power to make herself and her teammates better. It is with great pleasure that we say congratulations to Jeri Siegfried-Mueller for her induction into the Illinois USSSA Hall of Fame.

2008 Female Player: Vicky Brown

Vicky Brown

Even though the game of softball is deemed a “hitter’s game,” a good pitcher can play a key role in deciding if her team walks off the field with a win or a loss.

Over her 35-year career, Vicky Brown played with such teams as National Bank of Rochelle, Prairie Moon Saloon, Uniform Tooling and King Potter. She did her best to give her club an advantage from inside the pitching circle and she did that very well. Being a player/coach for 20 of those seasons also gave her another avenue to help her team meet their winning goals.

“Playing softball has been a wonderful, lifelong activity for me and my family,” said Brown. “I have gone from player/coach in Class B, to A, to C, to D and in 2007 a Rockford Park District player and team sponsor.”

Brown has compiled an impressive 800-300 pitching record spanning all levels over her illustrious career. She hit .360 with 40 lifetime home runs, but admits none were over the fence and they came early in her playing days when she was faster. She has to her credit a no-hitter, thrown in a USSSA-sanctioned tournament to go along with a pair of one-hit games in league play. She was once hit in the head by a line drive, which required 34 stitches to close, and she says some say she hasn’t been right since.

She was named to four Illinois State All-Tournament teams, twice in each the 1970s and 1990s. With King Potter, Brown was named All-Tournament at an NIT and later at the Divisional Tournament. In 1983, her club, Prairie Moon Saloon, finished seventh at the World Class A Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas.

“Through the years I have made many lifelong friends, created a lot of great memories and learned many life lessons,” said Brown. “This includes fond memories of my dad, who kept score for my team for 25 years before his passing. I learned about leadership and teamwork through playing that I use today at work.”

“A special thanks goes to Brenda Paulson and the Illinois USSSA for offering a venue for women to play, coach and perform at their highest level. When I started in the ‘70s, there existed no organized sports for women except for the USSSA. Since that time, women have won the right to compete at all levels, but Brenda and USSSA were the first and have stayed at the forefront in getting girls and women involved in organized sports.”

— Vicky Brown

Her son Ryan, who grew up at the softball park, is taking over the reins from his mom as he pitches for his softball team now.

“I am very proud that he pitches, just like his mom, but he can also hit it over the fence, just like his dad,” Brown said. “Ryan plays four nights a week and weekends. I wonder where he gets it from.”

As for her thoughts on softball and the USSSA, Brown has special thanks for those who gave opportunities for women to reach their goals.

 “USSSA softball has been a positive part of my entire adult life,” Brown said. “A special thanks goes to Brenda Paulson and the Illinois USSSA for offering a venue for women to play, coach and perform at their highest level. When I started in the ‘70s, there existed no organized sports for women except for the USSSA. Since that time, women have won the right to compete at all levels, but Brenda and USSSA were the first and have stayed at the forefront in getting girls and women involved in organized sports. The numbers have fallen off the last few years, but I hope there will be renewed interest with the new professional women’s team in Rockford.”

We honor Vicky Brown’s great career in softball by welcoming her with open arms into the Illinois USSSA Hall of Fame.